Nova Scotia RCMP to get drones

This remote controlled helicopter, called the Patagium, is made by Nova Scotia company SkySquirrel. It’s shown in action at a test site near Cheticamp. Nova Scotia RCMP is also in the market for drones. (CONTRIBUTED)

Police drones will soon be whirring through Nova Scotia’s skies.

The Nova Scotia RCMP is buying five unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones. They’ve budgeted up to $165,000 for the purchase, or $33,000 apiece.

They will be outfitted with thermal cameras and a video camera that can stream live images back to the operator steering the drone with a remote control.

Drone use is regulated by Transport Canada. The RCMP is licensed to use drones for crash scene investigation, traffic accident reconstruction, search and rescue, major crimes investigations and emergency response team calls.

One privacy expert warns that drones could be used in intrusive ways, such as filming through a house window.

“They already do that with binoculars from one building to another,” said McInnes Cooper lawyer David Fraser.

“There really are very few limits on what law enforcement can do with respect to tracking, particularly in places that are publicly visible.”

Fraser said drones have many helpful uses, such as flying over a forest with infrared cameras to track down someone who is lost.

But he said people might have concerns about drones with infrared cameras flying over neighbourhoods looking for marijuana grow-ops, which give off heat.

“When it comes to law enforcement using drones I think we need a much better discussion and understanding on what they propose to do with it,” said Fraser.

While the purchase is a first in Nova Scotia, RCMP detachments across the country have been buying drones.

RCMP in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and Newfoundland and Labrador all use the devices.

The local detachment has outlined several criteria for their new aircrafts.

They must be able to automatically land and take off vertically. They must be able to hover in a fixed position within one metre of accuracy. They must weigh less than six kilograms and be able to be launched within five minutes.

They also must be able to fly in stormy weather, including rain and snow, and face temperatures as low as -25 C. The drone must be able to be operated from at least 500 metres away.

Recreational drones can be purchased for as little as $500 but they would be far less advanced than the models the RCMP will be considering.